Sunday, September 25, 2011

To Gérard Ghislain, the name behind French niche brand Histoires de Parfums, 1969 was an erotic year. To represent this intense sexuality he created 1969 EDP. A rose-y fragrance with carnal sensuality and voluptuous spices. An oriental-gourmand perfume with the eroticism and the mystery of that year.

The end of the 60's - 1969

1969 was a period marked by revolution and social political tumult. Life as we knew was about to change. But changes were not introduced slowly; on the contrary, in 1969 life on planet earth was becoming so crazy, so turbulent, so troubled, that human kind was eager to find a new one out of space.

1969 is a special year in our human scientific history due to the fact that in that year, men landed on the moon. Apollo 11 took its crew to the moon and Neil Amstrong, after describing the Moon's soil as very dusty, "almost like powder" uttered his famous line "That is one small step for (a) man, one giant leap for mankind". Yes, in 1969 two countries were fighting their cold war, and trying to prove the world they could also be the masters of the Universe: Russia - called Soviet Union at that time - with their space programs, launching Venera 5, Venera 6 and Soyuz 4 and 5. Americans proved their space program to be very successful, with the launches of Apollo 9, 10, 11 and 12. Successful yes, but not brilliant enough to move the world's attention from Vietnam.

In 1969 while Nixon and Pompidou stepped in, Lyndon Johnson and Charles de Gaulle stepped out. Arafat becomes the leader of OLP and Golda Meir becomes the first woman to be Israel's prime Minister.In Ireland people were marching in Belfast in favor of civil rights, and many Americans were protesting against the Vietnam war. 300 students were arrested in Madrid and martial law was imposed. Also Harvard University (administration building) was the scenario of student's protests for democracy.

But 1969 was also called the erotic year. The Jewish-Christian patriarchal model of morality was put aside. The slogan "Make love not war" was an anti war slogan for the counter culture movement of the 60's. Free love also became a movement and it was seen in the Woodstock concert. Young people wanted to express their sexuality freely. That meant also gay love. In June of 1969 New York City starts the first modern gay rights movement with the Stonewall Riots.In France Jane Birkin and Serge Gainsbourg shocked the world with their provoking love affair and song lyrics (click here to read about it). Je T'Aime Moi Non Plus was the longest orgasmic breathing in musical history.

Hair shocked society in 1969. A musical comedy on Broadway showed for the fist time naked scenes. Sodomy, fellatio and cunnilingus were chanted out loud. Not to mention the drug apology and the anti war spirit.1969 was the year that young people wanted to break with past, and seek for a better world. A world of peace, a world of equal rights and a world of free love. The year of psychedelic trips, tribal communities, tantric experiences, astrology, the counter culture,

42 years later, we are in 2011 fighting for similar causes. Vietnam is no longer an issue, nor we will watch movies about it, because we now have a new one started in 2003 with the American invasion of Iraq. So the enemy has changed. Today Communism is not a threat, but fanatic Islamism is, terrorists are. The Soviet Union is no longer a threat, the Arab dictators are.If in 1969 students were revolting, today the Middle East world is collapsing and the fights are no longer in the universities, but on broad day light on the streets.The world is again in a huge turmoil. But this time it is a financial one. The crash of the stock markets and the instability of the global markets installed a global fear. The European Community is at stake. The United States of America is no longer the center of our Universe. In these difficult times, mankind is no longer trying to find its place in space. Today we are more concerned about nano technologies and social networking. We find our dream lands in myspace, facebook, orkut and others.If back than we were fighting for the rights of gays and lesbians, now we are in a new fight: for them to be able to have their relationship recognized by law, for them to be able to get married and adopt children. We are fighting for their right to be in the army and proud to say out loud that they are gay. We go even further. Today we are discussing transgenders and learning to understand their conflicts and their rights.We are still looking for free love, but this time not in public. On the contrary, inside our homes, virtually. Today we are in the era of free digital/virtual sex. Watch, not touch.We are living different erotic years, where teenagers are getting pregnant and girls at the age of 9 are getting their period. We do not take LSD, we take ecstasy. Still today people don't understand that you cannot judge a person by his/hers religion or color, but his/hers acts and words. Today we have politically correct names such as "bulling", instead of "social pathological behavior". Today we don't read books, we have Ipods, Iphones and Ipads or I - shmocks... but in essence, 2011 is not that different from 1969.

photo credit: HdP

In that context it is pretty understandable why 1969 EDP by Histoires de Parfums is a incredible genius perfume. It is vintage and updated at the same time. It is hippie and elegant. It brings the inspiration of 1969, but it is modern and very updated to 2011.We are, in a way, in a major 1969 revival. A trend also captured by English brand Heely, with their Hippie Rose EDP (read a review by my dearest Olfactorialist, by clicking HERE).Gérald Ghislain is a man with a very distinguished skill: a great perfumer with a great sense of aesthetics and social behavior. He is to be considered by this blog, the owner of THE BEST NICHE BRAND there is today in the market.

In an interview to the former Sniffapalooza Magazine, GG explained a bit about the fragrance:

RB: I love the “1969” blog that is on your website; tell us, where were you in 1969?

Gérald: In 1969 I was four years old and I lived in the South of France.

RB: What were you doing that was memorable for you?

Gérald: I didn't take part of the events of 1969 because I was a child but when I grew up I began to be facsinated by this period and by it incredible liberty of minds.

RB: Tell us how the perfumer came to create the fragrance “1969”, was there a certain inspiration?

Gérald: With 1969, we wanted to create a body fragrance that communicates a certain vision of erotism in the Western world so the choice of the year 1969 was obvious. We tried to imagine what could have been the smell of this mythical year, using real facts but also all our fantasies about 1969. The hints of peach allow the scent a fresh, sweet and almost innocent feel. While the coffee and chocolate give an added depth and sensuality reminiscent of the year 1969. The drop of patchouli is an homage to Woodstock. The fragrance is both soft and assertive exactly like the year 1969!

Friday, September 16, 2011

As a blogger and fragrance editor, I always find it very challenging to succeed to describe something so intangible like perfumes. Although you can see the liquid in the bottle, once you spray it on your skin, it changes to tiny drops that you no longer see, but can still feel its presence till it evaporates completly.

I have been comparing fragrances to many forms of art, characters, sensations, emotions, colors..and many other understandable concepts in order to express what cannot be exactly expressed.

Last year I was thinking (the philosopher in me...if I can say I have one...) about the butterfly effect.

Butterfly Effect is a chaos theory, and a chaos theory studies the behavior of dynamical systems that are very sensitive to its initial conditions. So, the Butterfly Effect is a sensitive dependence on initial conditions, where a tiny change can result a large difference in a non linear system, to a later state.

There I was, sitting in my yard, watching a butterfly sucking nectar from my flowers, thinking about fragrances and how the addition of a single note changes a perfume. How many look-alikes fragrances there are in the market, with just one tiny little change, new box and new flanker name... But my thoughts got lost in my mind, hidden by my daily preoccupations, as butterflies flew away to my neighbor's sweeter nectars.

Yesterday I decided to spend an hour in the local shopping mall to check if there was any fragrance that would inspire me (which nowadays seems to be more challenging than describing the ones I do find!). Sitting in a cafe and savoring delicious pastries, the butterfly effect came back to my mind again(weird huh?). Butterfly Effect, fragrances, BUTTERFLIES! Fragrances are like butterflies!! A fragrance development project is just like the life cycle of a butterfly.

A butterfly is an insect with 4 scale covered wings, that can be very colorful and complexed or plain, but equally beautiful. They are fascinating creatures with the ability to mimic other species or exhibit polymorphism. They feed primarily from nectars, than pollen, sand, dirty or tree sap. To me, the most fascinating thing about butterflies is their life circle. From a tiny egg called chorion, the butterfly starts its life as a larvae (caterpillars). This tiny egg, in perfume development can be understood as an inspiration, desire, idea for a fragrance. It is in a shell called creativity. A beginning to what can be considered a masterpiece or a total disaster. The fragrance "egg" belongs to brands, to creative directors and some times to the perfumers (if independent).

Photo credit: Jay Cossey

The caterpillar is a creature with a promise to become a beautiful butterfly. It does have amazing skills like the ability to release scent to protect itself from other animal, through structures called osmeteria. They can communicate with ants (god knows what they talk about!) by vibration and chemical signals. Some caterpillars can inflate they head or create false spots to mimic eyes also for protection. The body is build in layers and in the last stage of the caterpillar's development, the wings are developed. Caterpillars are the fragrance briefs - an idea described in details with a promise to become a beautiful perfume, the newest hit, the new Chanel Nº5 of the contemporary world. Although it looks weird, and sometimes it has to be redefined many many times, it is an intermediary phase between the intangible to the golden liquid in a bottle.

The last stage before turning into the butterfly is the Pupa. The caterpillar looks for a place for pupation that it is usually under a leaf. It makes a button of silk, usually with a golden color, and it becomes a Chrysalis.

It is a time of introspection. The skin hardens and the butterfly continues to develop inside. In 10 days app. the butterfly will emerge.For fragrance developments the pupa is the lab, and Chrysalis is the many formulations and reformulations. The numbers 01,02,03,04 and 05 of a legendary tale of a Chanel fragrance. In the lab the perfumer will sit apart of the world and focus on how to transform words and corporate meetings into a product. He will be surrounded by olfactive notes in little flacons with raw materials, and he or she will design the perfume.

The butterfly is obviously the final phase. The desire, the inspiration, the idea, that started in a tiny egg became this delicate, sumptuous, beautiful and colorful creature. It will fly and flow to the hands of perfume passionates just like butterflies fly to flowers. Perfumes cannot exist without us my dear readers, as butterflies cannot exist without nectars, and the other way around! Flowers need butterflies and other insects to make pollination, just as perfumes needs us to appreciate them, to talk about them in our blogs or in our social groups so they can reach others.

If a tiny drop of fragrance can change your mood, define or redefine who you are, and this will affect another person, in the other side of the globe, you just applied a "certain" Butterfly Effect to your dynamic world.

Sunday, September 11, 2011

Patchouli Impérial is the newest fragrance by Dior ( La Collection Privée) developed by perfumer François Demachy. According to the French perfumer, patchouli is an essential ingredient for the House of Dior. A legendary oriental note, sensual, sultry and the most animal of all plant's notes. Essential to Dior, essential to me, as it is is my second beloved note (as you know it by now, iris is my favorite one).

I think what I love the most in it is that patchouli to me is a perfume by itself, with aromatic top notes, with green-y camphorate nuances; powdery, honeyed and slightly tobacco alike middle notes with an animal stroke; and a woody earthy mossy smell for base notes. Indeed a perfume!

I am not really fond of Woodstock hangover fragrances, nor I was a flower child or a pothead, but there is something about this scent that attracts me very much. Did you know that patchouli was very hip during the hippie era because it was said to disguise the smell of Marijuana? (really??? I don't think so...)I have a small flacon with patchouli absolute hidden in my bedroom that I open EVERYDAY, just to start the day with a smile. My patchouli starts with a fast aromatic note that has something of wild oregano scent in it and soil. Than it develops a minty cool facet that reminds me of Colgate toothpaste diluted in water (I checked, that is how I know). Lasting for 05 to 10 minutes, it turns into a manilla envelope note (cartons and papers) and than it becomes very creamy and almost edible. Heavenly, a potion of the Gods. The velvety powdery slightly honeyed patchouli notes are my favorite.

I call patchouli the "Pep le Pew" note. Some people find in patchouli L'Amour"; some cannot stand it and find it very funky skunky malodorous. Fact is that patchouli can be verri verri diiirti (French accent here).

If you are a patchouli lover, you know where to find them. But in case you haven't given patchouli too much attention, you can start exploring it here. I put together a list of some of the fragrances that in my opinion, have amazing patchouli accords. It may be the center of the fragrance, the inspiration for the perfumer, like Noir Patchouli by HdP and Patchouli Patch by L'Artisan, or just a glorious touch that made all the difference in the composition, like Idylle by Guerlain, Coromandel by Chanel or pure Coffee by Mugler. In all cases, the fragrances are very complexed and very rich, and I simple love them.

NOIR PATCHOULI EDP by Histoires de Parfums - A five stars rated perfume - A woody-chypre patchouli fragrance that has a exquisite French aura. Patchouli is found from the very first whiff, the top notes, till dry down. Combined with coriander, cardamom, flowers, berries, musks, leather and vanilla, Noir Patchouli has a dark and mysterious aura. If you wonder why the bottle is not black...it is because it contains a certain freshness that reminds me of Colgate, but somehow it stays noir and very chic. Worth buying a full bottle! You will find this fragrance at HdP website by clicking HERE.

1969 EDP by HISTOIRES DE PARFUMS - A five stars rated perfume - A oriental gourmand fragrance with carnal peaches and sinful roses. Here patchouli is found in the base, in a very gourmet accord, with coffee, chocolate and white musks. Patchouli and chocolate is a very dangerous combo - it can be beautiful, it can stink of dirty laundry or dirty linens, but Histoires de Parfums knows exactly how to blend their raw materials, so it is kinda dirty, but not stinky! The inspiration is the revolutionary and sensual period of French history. It is indeed a very sensual perfume, and patchouli has an animal connotation that is simple a killer note here. If you love roses and patchouli you will probably love this fragrance. If you don't like the "dirtiness", go to Idylle by Guerlain - a rose patchouli combo to die for.Totally worth many bottles of 1969 EDP intense pleasure, get yours by clicking HERE.

PATCHOULI PATCH EDP by L'Artisan Parfumeur - A four stars rated perfume - Pure patchouli delight. That said, if L'Artisan would indeed make a patch of it, I would run to buy because I am totally addicted to this fragrance. It contains a disguised sour-anise note that it is not my favorite, but a rather difficult combination to find. Once the sourness fades away, it becomes very beautiful. It is animal, creamy and very sensual, and somehow attracts the masculine world a lot. I picture a velvety glove caressing my skin when I wear it. Find L'Artisan at their website by clicking HERE. Please notice that like all L'Artisan fragrances, this one is no exception, it does not last long. If you mind your pocket - forget this fragrance and go to Le Labo's.

COROMANDEL EDT BY Chanel - A five stars rated perfume - An oriental fragrance that is more satisfying than any of the above mentioned! This is one of my favorite comforting fragrances of all times. Click here for a review - The white chocolate velvety fragrance is simple a gourmandise experience that you can't miss. The fragrance is creamy, and patchouli is combined with rich notes of amber, frankincense, benzoin and woods. If you expect the hippie aura - you won't find in it. Chanel manages to give to this patchouli the most hip and elegant aspect of all of the above mentioned. Find Coromandel at Chanel's website by clicking HERE.

EAU DE CARTIER ESSENCE D'ORANGE EDT - Five stars rated perfume. Here patchouli is combined with citrusy joyful notes of oranges and bergamots. Juicy peaches are also conspiring for this sensational fragrance that also brings comfort and happiness. Click on the same like above to read about this fragrance and Coromandel. If I would have to choose between them, Coromandel would be my choice for comforting patchoulis. If you are looking for vibrance, joy de vivre, Cartier is your fragrance of choice! Click HERE to purchase that smile.

HINDU GRASS EDP by Nasomatto - Four stars rated perfume. The most aromatic and green patchouli fragrance of my list of favorites. It is a classy mix of tobacco, musk, amber and vetiver. Once the aromatic nuances fade away, it becomes powdery. Click HERE for a full review. I have changed my opinion a bit about this fragrance - I think (today) it is kinda loud, back than I didn't. But it is still nice, but not my favorite. It is also for guys only.

IDYLLE EDT by Guerlain - 05 stars rated perfume. Click HERE for one article about all the Idylle versions already launched. This is a fantastic fragrance by the brand that has a beautiful combination of Patchouli and roses. Idylle Duet puts more emphasis on this combo, but my favorite is still Idylle EDT. A beautiful chypre perfume that has a velvety silky effect with a very elegant aura. Patchouli here is not the center of the inspiration, but it is worth exploring this note when it is perfectly blended. Worth many many bottles.

A*MAN PURE COFFEE EDT by Thierry Mugler - Five stars rated perfume. Click HERE for a complete review. Here patchouli is combined with coffee, caramel, chocolate, lavander, vetiver, cedar, musk and moss. Here it also adds the velvet - ness for the coffee treat. It adds more cream to it. This is a fantastic fragrance for men, and also very sensual. Although patchouli is combined with chocolate and coffee - you won't find the dirtiness in it, just pure A*MAN sensuality. It should be called OH*MAN! Worth a bottle indeed.

PLATINUM J FRAGRANCES by Jacqueline Clemens - The brand explores patchouli notes in many perfumes of their collection. It is a rather new company, where all fragrances are crafted by perfumer Jacqueline Clemens. She have invested a lot of her personal life experience and soul into this project, and the result are fragrances promising a journey of self search, of giving yourself permission to be what you wish to be. Mix 11 has a combination of patchouli, amber and vetiver. Very earthy, very deep and very sensual. The one that I really enjoyed. Click HERE to find out more about itMix 13 mixes patchouli with amber and vanilla. It has an alcoholic twist in it that brings the warmth of sitting with friends in a campfire in the 70's. Slightly gourmand, slightly creamy. Not my favorite amber note thou...Mix 17 mixes patchouli with bergamot, geranium, amber and frankincense. More smoky than the other compositions.Mix 10 combines patchouli with amber and sandalwood. Mix 10 is very hippie. Once you smell it you you find yourself in a journey to the flower child in you. The interesting thing about Jacqueline fragrances is that you need time to really enjoy them. It is an experience, not a way to smell good. Do take your time, order the samples and check if you are willing to embrace this journey.

INOUBLIABLE ELIXIR DE PATCHOULI EDP by Reminiscense - A 03 stars rated perfume. Notes of sandalwood, vetiver, cedar and patchouli brings you right back to a flower power, no showering, no eating, just spacing out kind of mood. Earthy and moist y, you have to be seriously in love with patchouli to dare to wear this one. It goes well with batik and leather sandals...I am KIDDING YOU. The original was like that. This one has received a lecture form its parents, got a shower, got a job, looks more chic, but is dreaming of its wild past! To sample it before buying (recommended) click HERE. If you don't like the fragrance, at least you will love the music of the website! :-)

PATCHOULI 24 EDP by Le Labo - Five stars rated perfume. Here patchouli is combined with leather to bring the ultimate joy to all perfume connoisseurs, like Luca Turin, who gave this fragrance a 5 stars rating. Birch, styrax and vanilla, brings manilla envelope scents to a whole different level. Very animal and carnal, very powdery and comforting, this fragrance is a real teaching class for beginners who wish to understand patchouli. Reformulations were made, so I frankly don't know if there was any impact in its olfactive quality. I haven't tried the new version yet.All I know is that when I layer Patchouli 24 with Iris 39 of the same brand I get a very exclusive scent, that makes my days happier and more beautiful. Totally worth ordering the samples and try layering. Iris and patchouli is the ultimate treat, specially because the leathery quality of the perfume makes it elegantly sensual. Click HERE to sample.

WHITE PATCHOULI & CEDAR WOOD EDP by RItuals - A 4 stars rated perfume - It is very delicate, very powdery and also very dry due to the Lebanese Cedar notes. Images of white scented powder comes to my mind at the very first whiff of the perfume. Aquatic and dewy notes are combined with patchouli, cedar, frangipani, musks and spices. You will find this perfume by clicking HERE. Although said to be watery, I didn't find the moisture implied, but a rather delicacy of watery notes. Which was a bonus in this case. Coriander is very intense although not listed as a note in the composition. Developed by Catherine Selig (ISIPCA/Firmenich), the granddaughter of a glove maker-perfumer, she crafted a very German speaking style fragrance.

SANDALWOOD & PATCHOULI EDP by Rituals - A 4 stars rated perfume. Woody, sensual, modern and bohemian, this fragrance is indeed a magnet for ladies. Patchouli here is combined with sandalwood, nutmeg, oregano, cardamom, cedar, guaiac wood, bark and vetiver. Perfect to wear after a good bath and even better to use to work. Although it is sensual, it is a very close to the skin kind of perfume. It is very animal, very musky.

More patchouli fragrances for you to explore:

Intrigant Patchouli by PG Karma by LushPatchouli Intense by Parfums de NicolaiPatchouly by Profumum RomaPatchouli Leaves by MontalePatchouli by MazzolariPatchouli by M. MicallefPatchouli Noir by Il ProfumoPatchouly Indonesiano by Farmacia AnnunziataPatchouli by Comme de Garçons LUXEReal Patchouly by Bois 1920Patchoulissime by Keiko MicheriUntitled Nº6 by Susanne LangPatchouli by JalainePatchouli by ByblosNuits de Noho by Bond Nº9Patchouli Antique by Les NereidesBorneo 1834 by Serge LutensWhite Patchouli by Tom FordPortrait of a Lady by Frederic MallePatchouly by EtroPatchouli by Santa Maria NovellaPatchouli by Lorenzo VilloresiLe Senteurs Patchouli by MollinardA Taste of Heaven by KillianHarem by LRNeonatura Coccon by Yves RocherAmber & Patchouli by Jo MalonePatchouli by Demeter NaturalsPurple Patchouli by Tom FordGentleman by GivenchyAromatics Elixir by Clinique (1975)Eau Sauvage Extreme by DiorPatchouli Odissey by Jean Marc ChaillanIndex Patchouli Free by FreshFresh Bushukan splash by Molton Brown

So you have now many patchouli paths to explore. My advice is the following: if you have the bucks - Coromandel, Noir Patchouli and A*Man Pure Coffee. If you haven't, choose only one - Guerlain Idylle EDT. Always wise to sample the fragrances first, before purchasing. If you were never a patchouli fan, maybe it is because you had the hippie image related to it, but this noble raw material can offer you much more than that!

To me, if patchouli were to be personified, it would be definitely Jim Morrison! Wild, iconic, charismatic, sensual, edgy.

Saturday, September 3, 2011

Once upon a time the ancient Egyptians and other peoples of the Far East used to burn herbs to evoke scents and aromas. It was the first form of perfuming. Later perfumes became solid and than liquid as we knew till recently.

Today researchers are looking for new forms of perfuming, of capturing scents and aromas.

Remember when I first posted about Le Whif? Developed by a Harvard professor, David Edwards, who was researching in the medical field on aerosols and inhalation, and in collaboration with students, designers, engineers and entrepreneurs from Le Laboratoire, a center for art and design in Paris, Le Whif was launched as a device for eating chocolate by breathing. This was the first seed for the development of edible perfumes.

Beneo and a Bulgarian candy company called Alpi have also teamed up to introduce to the European market a new way of perfuming, from inside out, as fragrance is incorporated as the candy is consumed, and than released through the skin pores.

We can't deny that violet candies and rose candies are in the market for ages. But they only brought the aroma-taste of these flowers. The scent was captured in the mouth and that was it. Today, the products are being developed just like the edible cosmetics, that bring beauty from inside the body.

Swallowable Parfum is a new product that has been being developed by Harvard biologist Sheref Mansy and body architect Lucy McRae consisting in a swallowable perfume pill that is digested to excrete fragrance through out the skin surface by perspiration. Tiny droplets will rest on the skin releasing unique fragrances. The skin, as Lucy McRae describes, becomes a platform, an atomizer, and will give a new definition to it.

Swallowable Parfum takes advantage of natural enzymes produced in our body to release fragrant molecules from larger structures.Truth is that we have al experienced eating certain types of food and smelling odors through transpiration. I once heard from a Japanese that western babies "stink" of sour milk. I would not mind if my sweat would smell like 31 Rue de Cambon by Chanel!

Fuwarinka, a Japanese company launched in the market the Fuwarinka Scented Gum, the chewable perfume. It is said to bring the fragrance of roses and peaches to the entire body and not just for the mouth, once the gum is chewed. The fragrance is excreted thought the pores, leaving the skin perfumed and also bringing healing benefits to our health.

My questions are concerning the performance of these new technologies. For how long will we be able to smell the fragrance on the skin? What if we want to stop the process? With sprayed fragrances it is very easy - washing off with an instant shower. But what if I swallow the pill and somehow it gives me a major headache only a few minutes after it starts to be excreted?

Another question raised: is my poop going to smell like perfumes one day? If so, I won't mind a fresh scented Sicilian lemon fragrant poop! I think these researchers could also focus in perfuming human excrements and gas. I would not mind my child's farts if they smelled like Guerlain's Mitsouko! Can you imagine perfume pills being swallowed to release and transform our poop into fragrant toilet surprises? They could team up with air freshener companies!

Thursday, September 1, 2011

September is the national honey month in the USA. Although I am bellow the Equator, I decided to embrace the spirit of this celebration.

I just adore when winter is at its very end and spring is about to begin. Here in Brazil it is supposed to start at the very end of September, but this year it came much earlier. Birds are already singing louder, white and yellow flowers are already blooming, and the temperature raised to 28ºC. The leafs are greener, sweaters went back to the storage drawers, and I my jasmines are more fragrant than ever!It is a great opportunity to select amazing fragrances that have been presented over the years with the honeyed spirit of September!

Photo credit: + Q Perfume Blog

The first related thought I have to spring are bees, followed by flower nectars and honey. The human fascination for honeybees began thousand of years ago when men started to hunt for honey 10,000 years ago.In ancient Egypt honey was used to sweeten cakes and cookies, for embalming the dead and offered to Gods. Honey is also one of the five elixirs of immortality for Hindus, and for the Jewish faith it is the symbol of the new year (Roshashana) as Israel is the Holy land of milk and honey. Honey is also a term of endearment in almost every English speaking culture. Fact is that honey is a fascinating mixtures of sugars, made by bees from the collected nectars of flowers. It is a source of energy, of health and beauty.As honey comes from a floral source, its aroma can be mono-flower if coming from one source of flower only; Poly-flower when the source is a combination of flowers (in this case the the aroma will be more or less intense depending on the prevalent blooming; or the aroma of stewed fruits or fig jam if the source is not nectar, but honeydew.To me honey contains a rich, syrupy, sweet, waxy, slightly smoked and slightly caramelized fragrance. Someone told me that pure quality honey has to have only the scent of the flower sources, without the smoke and caramel...

Photo credit: Mandy Aftel - Aftelier Perfumes

Honey Blossom EDP by Mandy Aftel - This is a delicious fragrances with a duality of textures. Although it brings the sticky waxy touch of honey and honeycombs, it also contains a transparency, a fluidness or airiness of flowers nectars. The notes composing the fragrance are: mimosa, linden blossom CO2, orange blossom absolute, phenyl ethyl alcohol, ambergris, benzoin.Wearing this perfume feels like nature has touched you and whispered in your ears "spring is about to come. Feel happy, thrilled"!Ambergris and benzoin bring body to the scent, a sensual touch...as if the gentle touch from the top and hearts notes decided to hold you more tenderly.Although many wearers of this perfume will imagine yellow blooms, butterflies, bees and hummingbirds flying around, I can only think of Degas and his masterpiece - The Ballerinas.

The Ballerinas - Dancers Bending Down, Degas - 1885

Just as in the painting, Mandy Aftel's Honey Blossom EDP contains a certain sensuality, but gracefully and romantically exposed. Both artistic compositions are complexed and fluid. With sensibility Degas juxtaposed brush strokes of pastel colors; Mandy juxtaposed olfactive notes. Both works reveal femininity, not fragility. As Degas ballerinas move in a weightless and ethereal graceful perfection, they also reveal a ravishing feminine strength inside yellow tutus; Mandy does the same, capturing it in a flacon of Honey Blossom. Both artists have an exquisite sense of movement, each in his field of expertise. This perfume can be purchased at Mandy Aftel's website by clicking HERE.

L'Abeille EDP by Guerlain - although this fragrance deserves one review apart from others, I decided not to do so, due to the fact that the price and availability made this fragrance almost impossible to be purchased - only 46 were made and cost the amount of 12,500 euros. I am lucky to have a rather big sample hidden in my treasury safe deposit box (I am kidding!). The fragrance is luxuriously honeyed scent. The Royal Jelly of the honey-beewax fragrances, at the very best Guerlain style. Notes of this composition are orange blossom, mimosa, honey, lilac, mimosa, acacia. A rather chlorophyllic green opening announces that spring has arrived, and pretty soon you are puffed with pollen, a syrupy luxurious nectar of orange blossoms, mimosas, jasmines and acacias and a powdery iris. You will see bees flying around your head. But not just any bee! Bees in tuxedo! Oh yes, the fragrance is a "tux-lux" kind of perfume. Signed by Thierry Wasser, it is intense, it is chic, but somehow it got too honeyed and at one point I felt like having one of those spa treatments were you lie down with your body covered with wild flower honey, or other type of edibles. Too much naivité, too much Royal bouquets, too much angelic yellow blooms for one single fragrance! I must say, not my favorite Guerlain. (I am not being a snob here because I have what many would kill for, but instead, I am being completely honest).

Yellowish fragrances with honey nectars

Photo credit: + Q perfume Blog

Summer by Kenzo EDP - my favorite scent of the brand, Summer by Kenzo, although inspired by solar days of summer, it is the very essence of spring. Uplifting, almond-y & milky, warm, flowery and most of all, loaded of mimosa nectars perfectly blended to create a feminine non-sticky perfume. Notes of this composition are: citron, bergamot, mimosa, violet, almond milk, musk, amber, styrax and wood. Alberto Morillas developed a fragrance that leaves a trail of yellow beauty behind. I love the opposite sensations of the astringent citruses to the milkiness of the almonds, and the honeyed mellow intensity of the mimosas. The bonus is the sheer luminosity of the scent, that brings light to my heart and soul. Fragrance found in every perfumery store near you.

Prends Gare a Toi EDP by Egofacto - click HERE for a complete review. Lantana nectars heavenly composed to result in a very sensual, very intense but also very delicate and fluid. Like bees and hummingbirds are attracted to flowers, you will feel compelled to smell yourself during the fragrance evolution. It is kinky-chic and somehow daring you to commit a fragrance crime and taste it on the skin.

Le Mimosa EDT by Annick Goutal - One of the latest AG launches, this flowery-fruity composition has notes of peach, mimosa absolutes, anis, iris and white musk. It is a very mellow yellow fragrance, almost juvenile.

Le Chevrefeuille EDP by Annick Goutal - This composition brings notes of wild narcissus, lemon, petitgrain, green notes and jasmines. The combination of lemony notes and the sweetness-nectar like notes of honeysuckle are simply divine. A happy potion for all seasons with the aura of a sunny day in a Brazilian spring. Simple and honest, the scent smells like a real flower, but with a sophisticated touch of a very skilled perfumer.

Annick Goutal fragrances can be purchased online at the brand's site or in any luxurious perfumery near you. You will also find Annick Goutal at Essenza Nobile.

Mimosa pour Moi EDP by L'Artisan Parfumeur - This composition has notes of mimosa, blackcurrant buds and violets leafs. A beautiful creation of perfumer Anne Filipo bringing the yellow scent of the mimosas with a green-ish opening and a alluring sensation.

Chèvrefeuille EDp by Le Jardin Retrouvé - This fragrance composition captures the scent of honeysuckle in a very natural way. Notes of Italian lemons and petitgrain Paraguay brings a slight acid effect to add freshness to the perfume. A joyful and sheer way to enjoy the spring allure a year round!

Thinking about nectars, honeyed notes and fragrances, I decided to post also combination of scents that make me smile:

I just love the combination of honey and leather. In my opinion they complete one another. Honey gives the leather the sweetness that "rounds" the composition. Tobacco and honey are also very well accepted by me. As tobacco itself already contain honeyed facets, it enhances it to provoke a sensual effect. Patchouli and honey are also complementary for almost the same reason tobacco and honey are. As patchouli has a slightly tobacco alike note, it blends fantastically with honey. I also love the powdery patchouli complemented with honey. The honey-acid combo is very common, as honey is combined with lemons, limes and citrusy notes. I prefer something more elaborated , such as honey and acid fruits, like some berries or plums. Honey and roses are not my favorite, but once I find good compositions I do enjoy them. I can affirm that dark notes such as dark chocolate, coffee, frankincense, burned sugar, licorice etc...go extremely well with honeyed notes. Spices and vanilla do bring a kick to honey and are also very common to find. From all the spices, black pepper is my favorite combination to honey.

Do you have a special honeyed favorite combo? A perfume that I did not mention?

About the Author

Simone Shitrit is a Sao Paulo-based olfactive designer, author & editor for +Q Perfume Blog, +Q Perfume Trends & Blends Blog. She was for more than 2 years exclusive fragrance contributor for the Brazilian Beauty site Cristiana Arcangeli (The iconic entrepreneur and reference to the Brazilian Cosmetic & Perfumery Industry), fragrance evaluator and free lancer writer for the Brazilian Beauty & Cosmetics magazine Atualidade Cosmética. Exclusive Fragrance Consultant for one of the largest Brazilian news Broadcasters - BandNews. She also gives lectures and promotes events about perfumery and for perfume brands.

As a Fragrance expert and consultant always cutting edge, she was the first and only perfume blogger to be a juror of the Brazilian Perfumery & Cosmetics Awards - Atualidade Cosmética; consultant for big fashion magazines such as Marie Claire and House and Garden in Brazil; freelancer evaluator for Fragrance Houses in Brazil; and is always invited to be present in fashion, design, gourmet and perfumery events.

With a background in International Trading, Business Administration and International Marketing and Corporate Law, she has been working with multinational companies and governmental organizations. Today she is the senior marketing manager for Orphek Led Lighting Solutions.

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